Sewing machine



w July 31, 1945. c. T. WALTER ,380,912

SEWING MACHINE Filed June 16, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l (Zarles Z wa lzer INVENTOR Y 41% ATTORNEY Arrear- SEWING MACHINE Filed June 16, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 85 q m 7 v9 I 79 I z- 81 6 v I C 21Z5 I fl dZter !NVENTOR A TTE5T- BY m m L; I

ATTORNEY Patented July 31, 1945 um'rsn STATES PATENT OFFICE SEWING MACHINE poration of Delaware Application June 10, 1941, Serial No. 395,224

6 Claims. (Cl. 112-239) The present invention relates to sewing machines, and more in particular to improvements therein adapting the said sewing machines for use particularly in connection with the sewing of materials such as animal intestines and the like.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide novel means in a sewing machine for effectively and securely holding material, such as animal intestines and the like, against motion during a sewing ov ration without exerting excessive pressure on the casings or intestines which would otherwise tend to break the fibers and damage the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide novel means in a sewing machine for securely holding material' such as animal in-v testines and the like, against motion during a sewing operation without damaging the same and which provides a cushion to absorb compression forces set up by machine vibrations, thus permitting higher operating speeds to increase the productive capacity of the device.

The present invention includes as a further object the provision of a resilient supp rt; disposed in cooperative relation to a reciprocating pressure foot to temporarily arrest movement of material, such as animal intestines and the like, being fed into the sewing machine and to securely hold said material againstmotion without damage thereto while the needle of the sewing machine penetrates said material during a sewing operation.

As a further object of the present invention,

the resilient support hereinabove referred to pro- 1 vldes means whereby accurate mechanical adiustments of the moving parts of the sewing mechanisms are avoided and become unnecessary, which otherwise would be required were the pressure foot to be used in cooperative relation with a non-resilient support.

Another object within the purview of the present invention is to provide a novel drive for the pressure foot comprising an overhead drive shaft driven from the main drive shaft for the sewing machineandwhicnthroughspacedcamscooperating with suitable cam followers associated with the said pressure foot, effectively and positively reciprocate said pressure foot for itscycle of operation.

' Other objects, features, capabilities and advantages are comprehended by the invention, as

will later appear and as are inherently thereby.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of a sewing machine embodying the novel features of the present invention and having parts broken away to show more in detail certain of the elements thereof;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view partly in section and in end elevation of the sewing machine shown in Figure 1 of the drawings;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top planwiew of a table top or material support for the sewing machine of Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings;

Figure 4 is a view in section taken in the plane represented by line 4-4 of Figure 3 of the drawl s: 1

Figure 5 is a view in section taken in the plane represented by line of Figure 3 of the drawi s Figure 6 is a diagrammatic representation of the entire conveyor and sewing mechanism, showing a modified casing enclosing structure for the sewing head with the casing removed from over the driving sprocket and needle bar driving pitman; and

Figure 7 is a view taken on line 1-4 of Figure 1.

Referring now more in detail to the drawin a sewing machine embodying the improvements properly presents the animal intestines or other material to be sewn in proper relation to the sewing mechanisms of the sewing machine.

- The sewing head 2 includes frame structure embodying the fixed bearings! and It in which is slidably mounted guide element I: having mounted on its lowerienda pressure foot it formed with a toothed working surface It and a guide element ll cooperating with the inclined wall "*0! the support I for directingandguiding the. material being fed,to the sewing machine into proper relation to the needle bar it having a needle 22 on the lower end thereof. This needle bar is mounted as shown for reciprocation in the ilxed bearings I and II and cooperates with certain other mechanisms, generally shown at 24,

- enclosed in part by the support I, for forming the stitches used in this sewing operation.

The upper end of the guide i2 is formed with a generally ring shaped member 28 to which are secured two hardened steel plates 2| and SI serving as cam followers which engage complementary and opposed cams 32 and 34, respectively.

These cams are integrally formed and mounted adjacent the end of the drive shaft 36 for reciprocating the pressure foot ll through the guide i2. The shaft 38 is counterbalanced as at a and is mounted for rotation in the head 2 through the medium of anti-friction bearings 40 and 42, the said shaft at its other end having a sprocket is driven by means of a sprocket chain 48 which passes around another sprocket is mounted upon the shaft ill and which is driven from a source of power through the medium of the pulley 52.

The drive for the pressure foot as above set forth constitutes a novel arrangement in that the driving mechanism for the sewing machine elements including the needle and pressure foot are disposed above the table or Support 4, thus avoiding any interruption to the continuous feed of material to the sewing machine and providing a direct drive for eifective operation of said elements.

A means for feeding the intestines past the stitch forming means is disclosed in the co-pending application of Charles T. Walter and Lowell R. Newton, Serial No. 379,288 filed February 17, 1941. If desired. however, material could be continuously fed past the sewing machine by hand.

While as above stated the feed; mechanism forms no part of the present invention, a suitable mechanism for feeding material both longitudinally and sidewise relative to the work support aseopm sequence and a drive shaft ll supported in suitable bearings is provided for this purpose having cams I. and II keyed thereto. Cam I! having cam track ll therein is operative through the pivoted lever 82 to drag the sewing machine transversely the path of movement of the conveyor. The lever 82 is connected to the platform I4 through the laterally extending rigid arm 23. Cam II engages a lever ll through the cam follower It which follows the periphery of cam ill. The lever 84 engages the arm II to carry the platform 14 longitudinally along the path of the conveyor movement and the platform 14 drags plate II with it so that the asis diagrammatically shown in Figure 6. The I elementshere pictured represent the essentials of the mechanism disclosed in the co-pending application wherein means .are shown for continuously moving the material past the stitch forming meanswhile also moving the sewing machine bodily sideways to effect the desired cross-stitching. In this machine, the continuously moving conveyor 12 engages the material to carry it over the work table I and under the needle 22 in order that the material may be stitched together.

The conveyor normally carries the intestines continuously forward across the work table, but at spaced. intervals, the entire sewing machine is carried across the path of the conveyor movement to provide the cross-stitching as disclosed in said co-pending application of Walter and Newton. Preferably the machine while moving transversely to the pathof the conveyor movement is also moved forwardly with the material on the conveyor so that the cross-stitching may be disposed at. approximately right angles to the longitudinal .axis to the pieces of the intestines being worked upon.

In order to move the sewing machine in both of the directions suggested above, the machine may be mounted on a platform It which is supported on rollers II that have a bearing on a plate It. The rollers II are so mounted that the sewing machine may move across the path of the conveyor movement when so urged. The plate I. is in turn supported onrollers I1 disposed at right angles with respect torollers so that the, plate it. together with the rollers II and the sewing machine carried on its upper surface may be moved forward and backward to carry the machine along with the intestines when cross-stitching as explained above.

Suitable cam means are provided .to move the machine on rollers 15 and 11 in properly timed sembly moves as a unit on rollers TI. The arm '3 is mounted in the lever -24 so that it may reciprocate' therethrough as the platform ll rolls on the rollers 15, the lever OI serving only to drag the platform ll backward and forward with respect to the movement of the conveyor.

The conveyor 12 may be driven from the continuously rotating shaft ll through a sprocket l6, sprocket chain 88 and the sprocket wheel ll aiilxed to the conveyor drive shaft ll. Thus the conveyor maybe continuously driven to carry the intestines past the stitch forming means.

The sewing machine drive may also be taken from shaft 12 as by sprocket or pulley II, belting means II andpulley l2 keyed to the main drive shaft of the sewing machine. The belting means 8i must have suflicient slack provided therein to accommodate the slight movement of the sewing machine with respect to shaft 18.

The sewing machine above described further embodies a novel work engaging element dis-' posed to cooperate with the pressure foot I to effectively hold the material, such an animal intestines and the like, during a sewing operation without iniuringthe same in any way and to serve as a cushion to absorb compression forces set up by machine vibrations. In the illlustrative example, the work engaging element which cooperates with the pressure foot is constituted by a pad 54 of any suitable resilient and comclaimed in a coper-ding application of Charles T. Walter and Lowell R. Newton flied March 25, 1942, and bearing Serial No. 436,116.

The resilient pad Bl as above set forth provides a compressible medium immediately below the pressure foot I which, in its cooperative relation with said pressure foot, efl'ectively holds the material being fed to the sewing'machine without injury the same in any way and which has been found to permit operation .of the machine at higher speeds, thus increasing its capacity.

While I have herein described and upon the .drawings shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention, it is to bev understood that the invention is' not limited thereto but may compre- -hend other constructions, arrangements of parts,

details and features without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1' cit-un 1. In a sewing machine, the combination of a support for material to be sewed, a frame disposed above said support, a source of power, a pressure ioot fixed to a carrying bar that is mounted in said frame for reciprocation substantially normal to said support, and means for positively operating said pressure foot, said means comprising a drive shaft disposed substantially normal to said pressure foot carrying bar and mounted in said frame and driven by said source of power, opposed cams mounted on said shaft, means adjacent the end of said pressure foot carrying bar including cam followers cooperating with said cams whereby said pressure foot is reciprocated upon rotation of said shaft, and said carrying bar forming a rigid means interccnnecting said pressure foot and said cam followers for positively transmitting the motion derived from the cams to the foot.

2. In a sewing machine, the combination of a support for material to be sewed, a frame disposed above said support, a source of power, a pressure foot hired to a carrying bar that is mounted in said frame for reciprocation substantially normal to said support, and means for positively operating said pressure foot, said means comprising a drive shaft disposed substantially normal to said pressure foot carrying bar and I mounted in said frame and driven by said source of power, opposed cams mounted on said shaft, means adjacent the end of said pressure foot carrying bar providing a driving connection between the foot and said shaft, said driving connection means comprising a ring embracing one of said cams and provided with a cam follower cooperating therewith, and a cam follower dis- -posed adjacent said ring cooperating with the other of said cams.

3. A sewing machine for stitching animal intestines and the like comprising means to continuously feed the material to be stitched past a stitching station, a needle operative at said station, said needle being constrained to movement in a straight line relative to said station, a support for the material at said station; a reciprocable pressure foot movable into engagement with said material, means to drive said pressure root in timed relation to the operation of the needle whereby the pressure foot engages the material when the needle is passing through the material,

and said support beneath said pressure foot being of resilient material.

4. A sewing machine for stitching animal intestines and the like comprising means to continuously feed the material to be stitched past a stitching station, a needle operative at said station, said needle being constrained to movement in a straight line relative to said station, a support for the material at said station, a reciprocable pressure foot movable into engagement with said material, cam means, cooperating cam follower means and a rigid bar interconnecting 'the follower means and pressure foot to positively drive said pressure foot in timed relation to the operation of the needle whereby the pressure foot engages the material when the needle is passing through the material, and said support beneath said pressure foot being of resilient material.

5. A sewing machine for stitching animal in-, testines and the like comprising means to continuously feed the material to be stitched past a stitching station, a needle operative at said station, said needle being constrained to movement in a straight line relative to said station, a support for the material at said station,v a reciprocable pressure foot movable into engagement with said material, said pressure foot having a frictional material engaging surface, means to drive said pressure foot in timed relation to the operation of the needle whereby the pressure foot engages the material when the needle is passing through the material, and said support beneath said pressure foot being of resilient material.

6. A sewing machine comprising a working support having an aperture therein over which the work passes, means to feed the work continuously through the machine, a needle reciprocable between a position above said support and a position below the support through the aperture, means to drive said needle between said positions, a iriction block aflixed to the upper surface of the support, a presser movable in. timed relation with respect to the needle and against said block to hold the portion of the work into which the I needle passes immovable while the needle passes therethrough, and means to drive said presser into engagement'with said block in timed relation to the reciprocation oi the needle.

CHARLES T. WALTER. 

